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Azazel
In certain Jewish, Christian and Islamic dogma, Azazel was a fallen angel. His name loosely translates as "for the complete removal." The Dead Sea Scrolls According to the Dead Sea Scrolls, Azazel was one of the leaders of the group of fallen angels known as the Watchers, along with Samyaza. According to these texts, it was Azazel who taught men how to wage war and craft weapons and armour, and taught women the ways of deception such as dying their hair and painting their faces. In addition it was he who schooled mortals in the arts of witchcraft, corrupting their souls and leading them to wickedness and impurity. In this account, Azazel was eventually brought to heel by the archangel Raphael who chained him to the rocks at Dudael where he was to remain in darkness until the Day of Judgement, when he was to be cast into the fires to burn forever. The Books of Enoch In the first Book of Enoch Azazel was a leader of a group of fallen Grigorian angels. In this version, he was again stated to have taught men to make war and women to decorate themselves, but here the angels were also said to have married and procreated with women, spawning the monstrous Nephilim, and it was this act that brought god's wrath down upon them. In this history, Azazel suffers the same fate as in the Dead Sea Scrolls account. The third Book of Enoch tells a very different tale. Here, Azazel, along with the other fallen angels Azza (also known as Shemhazai) and Uzza (or Ouza), opposed Enoch's appointment as the angel Metatron, and so Enoch had them cast from heaven. They then became the leaders of two hundred fallen, even though they were still regarded as the guardian angels of ancient Egypt. The Apocalypse of Abraham Although not considered biblical canon, Azazel makes an appearance in these texts which is worth mentioning: the Apocalypse suggests that Azazel may not be merely a fallen angel but in fact Satan. It is initially claimed that Azazel was an unclean bird with six pairs of wings, seven heads, fourteen faces, and the hands and feet of a human, which descended upon Abraham. However, he later states that the wicked will "putrefy in the belly of the crafty worm Azazel, and be burned by the fire of Azazel's tongue," implying that Azazel may actually be the Devil himself. Seventh Day Adventists Seventh Day Adventists teach that Azazel is a symbol of Satan. Here, although the sins of the sinner may be forgiven, the fact that the sins were committed in the first place is on record, and to this end Azazel must be destroyed in the Lake of Fire. After this happens, there will be no sin in the world. Islam According to the teachings of Ibn Abbas, Azazel was at first a wise and benevolent tutor, and the leader of angels who fought evil jinn on earth. His position made him prideful, however, and after refusing to bow before Adam at God's command he was transformed into a Shaytan. In this version, Azazel was a four-winged being created from fire. Islamic Mysticism Certain other Islamic texts have Azazel as the first creation of the true God who was himself given the power to create. Once Azazel declared himself a god and refused to recant his declaration, he was eventually cast down to earth, where he attempted to seduce and corrupt mortals. Category:Humanoids Category:Angels Category:Monsters in Religion Category:Dictionnaire Infernal Category:Immortal Beings Category:Celestial Beings Category:Demons Category:Intelligent Creatures Category:Monsters in Literature